1 Thessalonians 5:19
Do not quench the Spirit.
Amid a list of orders for Christian conduct, Paul mentions the need for spiritual hunger in a mature Christian believer. Contemplation over this instruction brought back many memories of times when I have felt a pull on my heart but have ignored it or promised to take care of it tomorrow. How many times, in my 21 years as a Christian, have I missed the opportunity to be challenged? How many directions have I missed because I am too busy with my selfishness or my pride? I would venture to guess that many Christians are guilty of this same act of “quenching the Spirit.” And, to take the thought further, I must question what the state of the church could be if only we would yield to the pull on our heart and follow.
I am at a point in my life where I am having to answer a lot of soul-searching questions. I graduated from college two years ago and am wondering what the future will be. Will I use my degree or should I look for a job in a completely different field? Should I pursue graduate school? I have so often questioned God on what my future holds and, in the midst of this personal battle, my sin of quenching the Spirit has surfaced. Sometimes I am so incredibly human! I beg God for answers to my life questions but when I feel a tug on my heart to go spend some time in prayer, I always seem to find something else to do. Could it be that in these times of insolence, the Spirit had desired to show me something? Something about the future He has for me? Someone in trouble that I should pray for? How many people have I disappointed because of my selfishness? How many plans for my life have remained unknown because I have found just the right thirst-aid to get me through the tugging on my heart?
Today I am asking the Spirit to bring it on Cajun style… better yet Thai-food-with-five-stars style. I want a thirst that won’t be quenched by any excuse of busyness or pride. I don’t want to be callous to the gift I have in the Holy Spirit. I want to be examined and re-examined and, in the end, I want to be found righteous.